Where this fits
Your system is hard to change
Small changes take too long and tend to break something else.
A project has stalled
A previous vendor left, or the work has stopped and nobody is sure what state it is in.
Your technology has aged out
The framework or hosting no longer gets security updates, or few people can work on it.
What we do
- Code and architecture review
- A plain-language report on condition, risks and what to do first.
- Project rescue
- Recovering access, getting the code running and stabilizing it.
- Test coverage
- Tests around current behavior, so changes can be made with more confidence.
- Step-by-step replacement
- New parts built alongside the old, moving users across in stages.
- Data migration
- Planned, rehearsed moves with checks that the data arrived intact.
- Upgrades
- Moving frameworks and hosting to versions that are still supported.
What application modernization means
Application modernization is the work of bringing older software up to current standards, so it is safe to run and practical to change. It can mean anything from moving hosting to replacing the system entirely. The right depth depends on what is actually wrong.
Legacy application modernization usually becomes urgent for one of three reasons: the technology no longer gets security updates, the people who understand it are leaving, or the business can no longer change it fast enough.
The main modernization approaches
Most systems need a mix of these, applied part by part. The review recommends which fits where.
- Rehost
- Move the system to new infrastructure with little code change. Fast, but the underlying problems remain.
- Replatform
- Upgrade the framework, database or hosting while keeping most of the code.
- Refactor
- Improve the internal structure so it is easier to change, with behavior staying the same.
- Replace in stages
- Build new parts alongside the old and move users across gradually.
- Rebuild
- Start again. The riskiest route, and justified only when the others will not work.
- Retire
- Switch off what nobody uses, which is the cheapest modernization there is.
Four decisions to settle early
- 01
Repair, replace or rewrite
The review gives a recommendation with reasons, and a full rewrite is the last resort.
- 02
What must not break
We list the critical workflows first, because they set the testing plan.
- 03
What can be dropped
Older systems often carry unused features that need not be rebuilt.
- 04
How to switch over
In stages where possible, with a way back if something goes wrong.
Common questions
Can you take over from another vendor?
Often, yes. It helps to secure access to the code, hosting and domains early.
Do we have to commit to a rewrite?
No. The review stands on its own, and you can act on it with us or anyone else.
What does it cost?
The review is scoped first. Any further work is estimated in writing using what it finds.
How do we keep the business running during modernization?
By changing one part at a time, running old and new side by side where needed, and keeping a way back at each stage.
What if nobody understands the old code?
That is common. We start by getting it running in a safe environment and writing tests that record what it currently does.
Related guides
Tell us what you want to build.
A few lines are enough. We reply in writing with questions.